Inline electrical connectors are used to connect two cables containing multiple wires. They are used in numerous applications that vary from blood pump systems to airplane cockpits to data transmission lines. In many of the applications, the connector must fit within a space-limited area. In an airplane cockpit, for example, the inline electrical connector may connect a cable carrying signals from numerous instruments to a cable connected to display gauges and may be required to fit within a space already crowded with wires, cables, and connectors.
In other applications, the connector may be subject to harsh environmental and use factors such as fluids, bends, compressive forces, rotational forces, and stress forces. One application in which the connector may be subject to harsh environmental and use factors is in oil well drilling where a connector may be used to connect a cable from a measuring or sensing device deep in a narrow oil well shaft to a cable from display gauges at the well surface.
Connectors also may be used in applications where failure of the connector is catastrophic, such as in blood pumps and airplane controls. Implantable blood pumps present challenges to connectors. A number of implantable blood pumps presently are under development for application as either artificial hearts or cardiac assist devices. An axial-flow blood pump, for example, typically includes a pump housing that defines a blood flow channel, an impeller mechanism mounted within the blood flow channel, an electric motor rotor coupled to actuate the impeller mechanism for blood pumping action, and an electric motor stator for actuating the rotor by electromagnetic force.
The energy delivered to drive the rotor is carried in an electrical cable connected to a controller/power module. The controller/power module may be implanted in the abdomen or may remain outside the body, in which case the electrical cable passes through a percutaneous port in the skin. The electrical cable has an inline electrical connector to permit the exchange of controller/power modules.
The connector is subject to harsh environmental and use factors and a limitation of space. For example, the connector may be subject to bodily fluids, bending forces, stresses, and strains, all of which challenge the integrity of the connector. Failure of the connector due to any one of these challenges is catastrophic to the patient dependent on the blood pump for cardiac support. Therefore, the design and construction of the connector must be robust enough to withstand these challenges.